Broken Butterfly Wings
by Nightmaric
Summary: Warning: Spoilers for Chapter 185. Drabble. “He watched as Watanuki slipped on Yuuko’s kimono, as if the boy was hoping that the cloth was her arms and she was by his side again, laughing and drinking till dawn.” Implied DoumekixWatanuki.


**Warning(s)** - Spoilers for chapter 185. Implied DoumekixWatanuki.

**Disclaimer** - xxxHolic and its characters belong to CLAMP.

**Author's Notes** - Haven't written anything in a while. I have some stories half written or so, but eh, not really motivated to continue writing yet. Just read xxxHolic last night, up until the latest chapter and this came to mind. Just twisting slightly away from the actual chapter. And I do mean 'slightly', because the dialogue is taken from the chapter. Personally, I like HarukaxKimihiro more (I have this weird thing for dead people... no, _not_ necrophilia, damnit) but ShizukaxKimihiro's nice too. Hehe.

**Summary **- Drabble fic. Unbetaed. "He watched as Watanuki slipped on Yuuko's kimono, as if the boy was hoping that the cloth was her arms and she was by his side again, laughing and drinking till dawn."

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**Broken Butterfly Wings**

He didn't know what to expect when he opened the door. All he knew was a pair of identical strangers had appeared in the eye he shared with Watanuki, and their gazes were pleading him as they were demanding it of him to go to Watanuki. The desperation and determination he saw propelled him to run and run he did, to where he knew Watanuki was when he saw through their eye.

"Doumeki," Watanuki murmured as he slipped on his spectacles and Doumeki hated his sensitivity in regards to the smaller boy because he could feel the terrible ache in the nearly-broken boy. "I will succeed to this shop."

He watched as Watanuki slipped on Yuuko's kimono, as if the boy was hoping that the cloth was her arms and she was by his side again, laughing and drinking till dawn. Doumeki said nothing as he listened to the boy's intentions, how he was going to keep the store going as he waited for Yuuko's return _even though she was already dead_ and _god_, Doumeki didn't think he would be affected by the witch's death so badly either.

"You'll do the store while you're attending school?" Doumeki asked and even though his face was blank, he was worried how Watanuki would cope and he could feel irrational rage boiling beneath his skin again. He hated it when Watanuki hurt himself.

"I won't go."

Bi-coloured eyes widened in a moment of uncharacteristic shock; Doumeki was rarely, if ever, caught off guard and Watanuki had done the near-impossible task with that one sentence. There was no need for Doumeki to voice his thoughts because Watanuki continued without prompt.

"That's not it," Watanuki refused to make eye contact with Doumeki, "I can't go.

"I can't leave this store anymore."

"...What do you mean?" Doumeki breathed in disbelief as he restrained the fury that wanted to spill out of him at those words. _Is he being stupid again?_

"That," Watanuki finally looked up and Doumeki almost choked at the heartwrenching look in those mismatched eyes that mirrored his own, "is the price."

"Because I've decided to hold it forever, I've decided to pay the 'time' within me as the price," Watanuki explained, his tone flat but Doumeki could hear the tightness of his voice and knew he was fighting not to break down, not in front of his not-friend. "I can't leave the store anymore. I won't age anymore."

Something about the whole matter unsettled Doumeki. "Does that mean you won't die?" he questioned not out of curiosity but need, because he needed to know what it meant for him and Watanuki.

"There's no living thing that doesn't die," Watanuki replied cryptically as his gaze fell away from Doumeki again and Doumeki nearly hated himself at that moment for putting the heavy sorrow back in those once lively orbs. "No matter how much we wish," Watanuki shut his eyes, Yuuko's despondent smile flashing through his mind, "people die."

"So I too, will die," the smaller boy's voice fell into whispers, but his words screamed in Doumeki's ears. "Someday, absolutely."

And Doumeki didn't want to listen anymore, because the hurting (_that's not right, he should never be broken, not like this, never like this_) boy in front of him was barely holding the pieces of himself together by threads. Wordlessly, Doumeki surged forward and pulled Watanuki into his arms and against his chest. Instinct screeched at him to protect the boy and his heart was yelling something undecipherable. "Watanuki..." Doumeki muttered as his arms tightened around the tense form of the smaller boy.

"D-Doumeki?" Watanuki called out hesitatingly, unsure what he was to make out of his usually stoic boy's actions. "What are you-"

"Watanuki," Doumeki murmured again, as if he could say nothing else. He shut his eyes tightly and buried his face in Watanuki's soft hair.

The strong arms around him felt safe, secure and warm, even more so than Yuuko's kimono, and those feelings stabbed at Watanuki. The smaller boy felt his breath hitch and something clawed painfully at his chest, as if trying to tear him inside out. He did nothing but press his face against Doumeki's shoulders as the taller boy pulled him even closer.

Watanuki thought he had already ran out of tears, so why was he crying again?


End file.
